Sour beer smell and slight off taste!

Do I dump it or tough it out?
In the same carboy (plastic) I had a what I believe to be a mold infection on a secondary fermentation English bitter a little over a month ago. I went ahead and filtered and kegged it but actually just dumped it cause I couldn't stand the smell and don't think I could've stomached it.
I cleaned my carboy like crazy with pbw and starsan, along with all of the equipment to go along with it.

Fastforward to the current batch in question. After a great boil and brew I pitched my yeast into a aussie light ale.
Initial fermentation went great I had to use a blow off tube as I had so much Krausen it was blowing off my airlock. This was started may 11 so just over 2 weeks ago. It has not been bubbling for a week or so but has not cleared up like my batches have in the past. I went to keg it today as I have fishing trip this weekend I was hoping to take it on this weekend. When I opened my stopper today I got a faint sour smell similar to the smell the previous apparently moldy bitter had!!!!! Proceeded to sample the beer and it doesn't taste terrible but does have that slightly sour smell to it. Also the sample hit the target F.G. So I kegged it the way it was and pressurized it to 30psi and put it in the fridge.
My questions are as follows;
Is it ruined?
Is it mold or bacteria? (No pics)
Most important should I just man up and drink it?
Lastly not sure about taking it on the fishing trip as I'm the only homebrewer on the trip and don't want to ruin the reputation of home beers. My dozen or so previous beers have all been very good and quite popular with friends.
Oh one more question, how do I get this carboy back to normal so I don't have to deal with this again?
Thanks,
Matt

5 gallons
Partial Mash
1.035~OG → 1.009~FG → 3.5%ABV 17 IBU 3.9°L SRM
Yeast
Wyeast - American Ale
1056 - American Ale
Wyeast (Ale) 4.23 ounces
Fermentables
5.3 pounds
Malt - Pilsen
33ppg, 3°L 3.3 pounds
62%
Malt - Light
42ppg, 5°L 1 pound
19%
CaraPils
32ppg, 2°L 8 ounces
9%
Crystal 10L
34ppg, 10°L 8 ounces
9%
Hops
2 ounces
Saaz
4%, Pellet 2 ounces
Partial/Steep
30 minutes, 3 gallons
Partial Mash 3 gallons at 150°F
Boil
1 hour, 5.78 gallons
Saaz hops
4%, Pellet 1 ounce
60 minutes (+0)
Saaz hops
4%, Pellet 1 ounce
2 minutes (+58)

Ferment
14 days, single stage
Start fermentation
63°F
14 days (+0 days)
Notes

The infection has probably taken up residence in the plastic. May just have to buy a new one. That is much cheaper than pouring beer after beer down the drain.

You may in fact have an infection in your bucket. Worry not, you have options. If you stroll over to the Lambic & Wild Brewing section you will find a world of brews that have a complexity you have rarely tasted in any other brew. This bucket can be used for them without issue. In the event you have no desire to go in that direction as it will take up a bucket for a minimum of 6 months I read a post that a guy uses his buckets for sours and regular brews. He fills the bucket with Hot Water and Bleach to soak. He then rinses thoroughly and Starsan's the bucket. He reported to have no issues.

Thanks for the reply! Will try the bleach then starsan method and go from there!
But can I and shld I drink the beer I just got out of it?

Would pasteurization halt the souring process? And at what temp? At least it would stay where it is.

I've done some experimenting (not always intentionally) and slightly soured beers can actually taste good. If you can drink them fast enough.

It can be simply a lactobacter infection. You store and mill your grains well away from your brewing/fermentation area, right? Also check and clean all hoses, vessels, test equipment, air locks. Those blow-off hoses can be real bug traps. A small scratch in a (plastic) vessel can harbor bugs tenaciously.

MachineShopBrewing said:

The infection has probably taken up residence in the plastic. May just have to buy a new one. That is much cheaper than pouring beer after beer down the drain.

Click to expand...

After soaking carboy In pbw and rinsing I noticed these little whit spots throughout the carboy. Can Anyone identify this?
Txs





edit to get working pic

That could just be precipitate from the pbw. soak again in star san and see if they dissolve.

I bet you have hard water. the hard water will react with the pbw and cause spotting like that.

As for drinking, I would let my taste buds be your guide. If your kegging and drinking it you can see how the beer changes over the time it takes to consume. You also have the opportunity to expand your pallet toward sours and may find yourself wanting to brew something totally different. Just a thought.

No have softened water here.
Also washed again with starsan and rinsed multiple times and the spots are still there.
They are everywhere in fact. Thinking this carboy is toasted!
thanks for looking!
Matt

Starsan is not a cleaner, but I've heard it may dissolve "scale" and "film" remnants from PBW.

I know you can't put a brush on these plastic carboys, but I've read people swishing a rag around inside, together with PBW to clean stubborn residue out. Strangest thing, PBW, when not completely dissolved is kinda abrasive, so I would be careful.

I've never seen this much stuff sticking to a carboy's side.

And remember, if it isn't clean, you can't sanitize it. That's why scratches can be so devious.